Fumiyo Kōno

Breathtaking. I knew this book was going to be sad, I watched the movie first and I knew the movie would be sad even before that because of the topic. And yet, it’s absolutely beautiful too. And even though it’s kind of heart breaking I would watch it and read it again because it’s just so well done and so truly heartfelt.

Aside from the excellent story and characters, I loved the art styles and the way the story was portrayed. There was just so much detail put into each part, it really shows. The creator uses interesting ways to portray different chapters, for instance one chapter is depicted like the tiles of a popular game for the time and place. The art also becomes increasingly more scratchy and loose looking once the main character looses one of her hands and isn’t able to create art quite like she used to.

This is definitely one of my favorite manga and books. This edition includes all the volumes.

… (meer)

I can't give this one a rating simply because I have no way of judging it. This was a brand new format for me. Sure, I've read plenty of Archie comics, but this is a different beast. Reading it was a bit unsettling in a way. I knew to read from the back to the front, but not to read from right to left, so the first reading of the first pages left me jumbled and confused. Eventually, I figured it out, but even as I turned the last page, it did not feel natural.

But, the story contained in this little graphic novel was beautiful and sad. It is amazing how much can be expressed in art.… (meer)

Le pays des cerisiers est trois histoires en un manga. La première histoire raconte la vie d’une jeune femme qui tente de comprendre pourquoi elle n’a pas été tuée lors du bombardement de Hiroshima. Puis, les deux autres histoires démontrent que, même après 10 ans et plus, tout n’est toujours pas rétabli. C’est en racontant l’histoire du frère (de la jeune femme) et de ses enfants que l’auteur nous exprime l’impact important qu’a eu la bombe sur cette société. Les illustrations de Fumiyo Kouno sont expressives tout en restant simples ce qui fait contraste avec la dureté du sujet.… (meer)